


After Dessert

by overstatements



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, i'm woRKING ON IT I'M SORRY, seven chapters and no real romance wtf, the slowest burn ever i'm not kidding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-24 02:17:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14945735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overstatements/pseuds/overstatements
Summary: Veronika Moreau draped herself in silk and dressed herself in diamonds. It was nothing but the finest for the daughter of the largest weapons manufacturer in the world.Because of her patronage, Veronika finds herself at many parties, including Tony Stark's. She wears only the finest clothing, showing off her wealth and position. She's not Tony Stark arrogant, but Veronika is cold and calculating.At one of this parties that Veronika Moreau met James Buchanan Barnes, the former Winter Soldier. He sparks an interest in her, and a business proposition comes to mind.It was only a matter of staying alive after dessert.





	1. Honest Man

Veronika always considered the fact that maybe her father didn’t love her. It seemed brash, but perhaps it was true. He was never around for her. Instead, he focused only on his next deal. There was no time to focus on his daughter.

It wasn’t like Veronika was shy of the things her father did. He made contracts, built up his empire, and gave her a luxurious life. Veronika wasn’t a fool, though. She knew some of it wasn’t honest.

An honest man wouldn’t close his doors went suspicion arises.

She had to admit, though. Her father hid it well. Leopold escorted her to parties and galas and other places. He kept up the pretense of a perfect family. He had to. If their family life wasn’t perfect, neither was the company. It was simple logic.

Over time, Veronika numbed herself to such things. She blurred out the fact that her father went with her to parties for reputation. Instead, she laughed with him like his laugh was genuine. She went to the parties. When her father left, she had one too many glasses of champagne.

It was an endless cycle that Veronika couldn’t escape. Not anymore, at least. Maybe if she would have realized when she was younger what she was getting into, she wouldn’t have taken risks such as this one. But, she was young and stupid. She was bound to make mistakes somehow.

Even now, as she socialized with other elites, Veronika could feel the pain of her mistakes. She saw her father on the other side of the room, saying goodbye to work partners. He left, not bothering to say goodbye to her.

She ignored the pain in her chest. Instead, she grabbed another champagne.

The women around her hardly noticed Veronika’s pain. They were focused on themselves, something commonly seen among the elite. It was everyone for themselves in this world. Not even family really mattered anymore.

After a few more minutes, Veronika finally excused herself from the women. If she would have stood there any longer, she would have suffocated. Those women weren’t any different than their husbands. Their vanity surpassed Narcissus’s, and they only talked of their wealth. Veronika found it all to be tiring. After receiving questioning gazes from her sudden excuse, she turned away. She found herself drifting towards a balcony.

Only one other, a man, stood out in the cold air with her. Veronika could see her breath as she slightly leaned on the railing. The air was so much more breathable out here. She took a deep breath, watching the city lights.

“Can’t stand the party either?” Veronika questioned. She heard shuffling, a sure sign the man had heard her. She waited in silence for his answer. Perhaps he didn’t want to answer. It didn’t matter to Veronika. She was only trying to be polite for once.

“Not for that long,” came a gruff reply. Veronika was surprised that he responded after all this times. At the sound of the man’s voice, his voice wasn’t used often. It was too gruff. That, or he had an odd smoker’s voice.

“I see,” Veronika said, carrying on the conversation. “They get boring, don’t they? The same people show up every time, me included. All the conversations are created to show off wealth that no one cares about. After coming to these parties for so long, they get repetitive.”

The man on the balcony let out a long sigh, agreeing with Veronika. The parties were a show of wealth, and the people who came were there to show off their wealth. It was a money game at these parties, and Veronika didn’t hate it more. Her thoughts drifted to being able to go home and wear sweatpants. She’d call up her best friend, and they’d watch movies together. Her best friend didn’t come to these parties, though. She hated them for the exact reasons Veronika was starting to.

“I’ve only been to a couple, and I can already see that,” the man commented drily. So. He was tired of the parties, too. Most people laughed in Veronika’s faces when she said that. Her solution was to hardly say it at all. But when you’re standing on a balcony to escape from suffocating conversations, you tend to bring up things that should be left in the dark. This was one of them.

Parties seemed to be in the dark area of the New York elites. Nobody went to celebrate someone else’s achievement. They only come to celebrate themselves. Sometimes, Veronika found herself in the exact same position. If she wanted to stay afloat, she had to play her part. She had to become another socialite, just like her father wants her to.

“Why do you come?” the man questioned her. Veronika looked over at him to find he was already looking at her. She raised an eyebrow at his question. He sighed, running a hand through his long hair.

“Why do you come to these parties if you hate them so much? What’s the point if you’re going to be uncomfortable the entire time?” the man questioned. Veronika got the feeling that he didn’t talk that much when his voice got quieter towards the end.

Veronika found it strange that the man was so worked up about this. He already said he found the parties repetitive. This man seemed… upset over her revelation, though. She thought about his question. Why did she still attend these parties?

Because she had to show off her wealth. Because her father made her. Because she needed to keep her status as a socialite. Because her mother would be disappointed in her if she didn’t keep them in high society. Because she had to make useless connections her father claimed were needed. They would never be needed, though, because the wives didn’t do the work. They made their husbands make the money while they spent it.

For a while, she was unable to give the man an answer. She couldn’t say all of that into a single sentence. It would scare him off, too, if she gave him the straight answer. Instead, she sighed. Her breath turned into frost.

“I suppose after a while it becomes habit,” Veronika laughed bitterly. Perhaps it did. She had come to these parties so often, Veronika doubted she knew what else to do with herself. It was come to these parties or sit at home and rot away from the inside. Maybe she did prefer the latter option.

The man scoffed at her excuse. He didn’t believe her. If she didn’t want to come, she didn’t have to come. It then became clear to Veronika that this man was not raised in high society. There was an algorithm that became increasingly simpler for Veronika: to keep your reputation up, keep your appearances up.

“Who are you? It’s clear you’re not one of them,” she said, gesturing back to the party. Hardly anyone noticed her absence back in there, but it was only a matter of time. Someone always wanted to talk about weapons.

He became unusually quiet at her question. Veronika looked at him strangely. Surely he would tell him his name. They were at a Tony Stark party. You came to these parties to keep up appearances, not visages.

“James,” the man finally answered. “My name is James.” He said it with surety, and Veronika then knew that James didn’t want her knowing his real identity. Maybe James was part of it, but it wasn’t all. He was keeping it from her. Veronika was in too many circles to not know anything for long.

In the darkness, she tried to make out his appearance. The lighting and the way he was standing made it too hard. The occasional burst of light from the party or down below allowed her to know that there was stubble on his chin and he was wearing a suit.

“Nice to meet you, James,” Veronika drawled. “My name is Veronika Moreau. Now that introductions are over, care to tell me why you’re out here? This is a party, James. Most people have to socialize.”

“You’re out here too, darling,” James retorted. Veronika chuckled drily at the nickname. Her father often called her that name, but it still held no emotional value to her.

“Yes, but I know I was socializing before I made myself an outcast out here with you. So, James, do you care to tell me what you were doing out here, or will this be a fruitless attempt? I do hate putting effort into things that will fail,” Veronika said.

“I already told you I can’t stand the party for that long,” James said, his voice low. He simply repeated what he had said earlier. Veronika wouldn’t do with that kind of answer.

She clicked her tongue, dragging her gaze from James back down to the city. “It’s something more than that. I can tell.”

“How?” James questioned. His gaze was hot on the side of her head. Veronika resisted the urge to look back to him. She immersed herself in the sight of cars driving to places she wouldn’t be able to follow.

“Because,” she started simply. “Because I know how people get when they’ve spent too much time at a party. You, James, have spent no time at a party. What is it? A fear of crowds? Anxiety? Why do you keep yourself isolated?”

Veronika finally looked back to him while he gazed at her questioningly. She met his gaze both warmly and coldly at the same time. She was uninviting, but he knew she’d be bitter.

“I told you already that I’ve spent more than enough times at these parties. You get to know the people through their wealth, too.” That was true. Through all their money, people were completely different. She knew a woman who slept with money under her pillow in case a robber showed up. In most cases, the robber would steal without waking the owners. It was easier that way because most people didn’t want to resort to murder. They only wanted the money, just like most other people.

James tore his gaze from her. He threw his head back, letting a breath escape. Veronika knew that he was tense and stressed, most likely because of the party. This man was an anomaly. Nobody that she had ever known was fearful of parties. It wasn’t allowed. You had to be able to socialize.

“I have a past I don’t wanna be questioned ‘bout,” the man finally answered. The man had a past, and a dark one at that. How interesting to Veronika.

“You talk to me,” Veronika commented. James looked to her, and she could feel the unamusement that heated his gaze. She raised her hands in faux surrender. “Just saying.”

“You’re only one person,” James said, making Veronika nod. Though, she still didn’t understand. She may just be one person, but that made it more intimate. Would it not be easier to just tell a whole crowd instead of one person who’d be able to pick out your insecurities? Veronika didn’t dawdle on it, though.

“If you’re so intent on keeping your ‘dark’ past a secret, why did you come to this party. This is Tony Stark. He’s obviously going to invite half of New York,” she said, her voice laced with malice when she spoke of Tony Stark. James couldn’t find himself asking her why, though.

“I had to,” James answered shortly. If he said it was a party thrown in his honor, she’d figure it out.

This was a party dedicated to James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes’s recovery from Hydra brainwashing. What a great way to celebrate a man who probably has PTSD. Veronika found herself almost laughing at the irony. She didn’t care for the man. The only thing she really cared about was how sales skyrocketed when governments wanted to arm themselves against Hydra or the Winter Soldier, even though it’s said that arming yourself against the Winter Soldier was useless.

“Family make you go? I understand that. My father always drags me to these parties, but he leaves. Almost every time, he leaves without me,” she said bitterly. Sometimes, she wished her father would act like he cared even a little bit about her.

“Yeah,” he said after a little hesitation. Veronika frowned at the sadness in his voice. “My family is making me go.”

Veronika cast her gaze back over her shoulder to the party. It was time for her to dive back into the belly of the beast. Maybe if she came back out here, James would still be here. The thought surprised her. Veronika never thought about a man twice. Perhaps if it was to use him, but James wasn’t of any use to her. Unless…

A plan quickly formulated in Veronika Moreau’s head. This man and her shared one thing in common: they didn’t like the parties. If that gave her a chance at what she was thinking, she had to give it a go.

“I have to go back inside,” Veronika started off carefully, “but I have an idea. Since we both hate the party, we could escape the next one together.” Not this one. There wasn’t any way Veronika could escape this one. “It’ll be better for both of us, I believe.”

She could feel the curious look James was giving her. “Why? You don’t even know my last name.” Veronika grinned. He didn’t completely dismiss her idea. He just questioned why she chose him.

“Because, Mister James, I don’t find you completely insufferable. I think you should be glad of that. I found most people here to be extremely annoying,” she grinned, getting off the railing. She looked to James once again.

“So?” she urged. She needed an answer quickly. She had to get back to the party. “What do you say? I guarantee I’m more fun when I’m not surrounded by people who don’t care about me.”

With a little less hesitation in his voice, James Buchanan Barnes agrees to escape the next party with Veronika Rose Moreau.


	2. Affiliates

The party felt the same as it did when Veronika walked out. The air was still suffocating and the people were still annoying. It was all the same.

“Veronika!” a voice called cheerfully. Veronika kept her face stoic at the sound of her name, but she resisted the urge to groan when she recognized the voice. Though she was at his party, she still found the man insufferable.

Slowly, Veronika turned her gaze to find him. Tony Stark stood near the bar with a glass of scotch in his hands. He was surrounded by other wealthy businessmen along with a couple Avengers. She would not be addressing any of them tonight. She simply didn’t have to patience for such affairs.

“Hello, Tony,” Veronika said, sketching a smile onto her face. She tried to make it appear genuine, but she knew her eyes would remain cold. They always did.

“How are you?” Tony questioned, trying to seem friendly. Veronika resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his attempts. Too many people tried them on her, and she hated it. They only did it for pretense.

Trying to make the smile grow, Veronika said, “Good. How are you?” She tried to make her tone light and casual, but it never came out that way. Her voice seemed cold and unwelcoming, the same way she felt. Veronika never was good at controlling her voice.

“I’m fine. How’s your father? I heard that he wasn’t doing so well,” Tony said, his voice in a stage whisper. Veronika bristled at his words. She knew it was inevitable, but she hated it when Tony Stark of all people brought up her father’s health.

At the mention of Leopold Moreau, more people in Tony Stark’s circle tuned in. They were all interested in him, not her. Even Natasha Romanov and Rhodey listened in now. Everyone was interested in her father.

Her father’s company took the stage after Stark Industries left the arms business. They were second after Stark, and now they’re first. Like Stark’s company, the Moreau business is passed down generation to generation, Moreau Inc. being older than Stark Industries. Everyone always wondered how her father took the stage so quickly.

“He’s fine,” Veronika said shortly. “I don’t know if you saw him earlier, but he was here. He’s in good condition, I can promise you.”

Veronika stopped trying to be warm and welcoming. It got too tiresome. Everyone knew that the Moreau girl wasn’t a nice person. Nobody knew that she was nicer behind closed doors. James is perhaps the only person she’d really been pleasant to all night.

“That’s good. We wouldn’t want something bad to happen to him. How is his company?” a man asked her. Veronika and him dove into a conversation about her father’s company, restraining from letting him know that it wasn’t just her father’s company. She ran part of it, and some of it was in her name. When her father chose to or when he died, the rest of it would be in her name.

She was to inherit Moreau Inc., and nobody really knew it. They all assumed her elder brother would take control of the company. Zacchaeus was nothing but a disappointment, however. He drank, slept around, and went to parties too often. He was irresponsible and not suited to take over a company like Veronika.

The younger Moreau was well groomed. The only parties she dared make an appearance at were ones like these. Though she never seemed like it, she could be pleasant at times. The parts which surprised people the most was her ability to strike a deal. Nobody knew that she could get whatever she wanted with just a few choice words. She was truly her father’s daughter.

Eventually, Tony swept them back into the conversation. “I was just wondering if something happened to you like what happened to me if you would change your business,” Tony stated innocently. Veronika felt herself grow stiff at his question.

“I can assure you, Mister Stark, that I do everything in my power to ensure that the weapons Moreau Incorporated produce end up in the right hands. If they don’t, I’d deal with it accordingly. We have special contracts and ways to know how people got their weapons and we ensure the people we sell to are verified. We don’t dilly-dally with these kinds of things, Mister Stark,” Veronika said coldly.

Everyone seemed surprised at Veronika’s cold answer. Never before had they heard her give that sort of answer, but never before had anyone had the gall to ask such a question. Nobody was acting like it was an appropriate question, either.

Nobody did anything after that. Veronika and Tony were glaring at each other, waiting for the other to back down. Years of questions like this and offhand comments that were an insult to the Moreau name led to hostility between the Moreau and the Stark. Veronika would never let that in the way of business, however.

However much she wanted to insult Tony and question him if he’s going to get rid of his stupid suits because they’re mass weapons of destruction, she bit her tongue. There were too many ears for those kinds of accusations.

“How’s your brother, Veronika?” Natasha Romanov questioned, trying to ease the tension within the circle. An unknown businessman excused himself already.

Reluctantly, Veronika tore her gaze from Tony’s. He smiled in satisfaction. Veronika’s face morphed from angry and insulted to coldness and neutrality in seconds.

“He’s fine,” Veronika stated simply. Though he was her brother and she loved him, Zacchaeus annoyed Veronika to no ends. If it were her that was acting like he was, the media would call her a slut, whore, or harlot. Instead of calling him names like that, however, they call Zacchaeus the next Tony Stark. They presume that as soon as her father retires and Zacchaeus supposedly takes over the company, he’ll supposedly become this sophisticated young genius, just like Tony Stark.

Except that wasn’t just like Tony Stark. Not according to Veronika, at least. Tony Stark was a man of arrogance who has to throw his wealth into everything. He insulted people without another thought and was praised for it.

Veronika Moreau hated Tony Stark with every fiber of her being.

“How about we discuss him over drinks,” Natasha said, not giving Veronika a choice in the matter. The redhead dragged Veronika away from the group. When they sat down at the bar, Veronika looked at her curiously.

“You and Stark were going to start a brawl so I separated you two,” Natasha stated simply. Veronika nodded her head, requesting a glass of wine from the bartender.

“Why do you hate him so much?” Natasha questioned. “I don’t mean to be rude, I just want to know. Every time you come to a party, you two always argue. Why?”

The bartender came back and poured Veronika a glass of white wine. Veronika didn’t respond for a bit. She sipped her wine, letting the Chardonnay pour down her throat. Finally, she set the glass back on the bar.

“Because, quite frankly, I find Tony Stark to be an insulting man. He insults my company, me, and my father. When he asks questions like the one he asked tonight, you get tired of him quickly,” Veronika said, picking the glass back up.

Natasha nodded her head sympathetically. She knew it could be hard to understand Tony, but she also knew that most of the times, he didn’t mean anything bad by it. With Veronika, however, he seemed more hostile. The answer to why evaded Natasha.

“Why does he question you like that?” Natasha asked, continuing her interrogation. She wanted to find the root of the problem. Veronika would be a good asset if she was on their side. Her father’s company was, after all, one of the biggest in the world.

Veronika looked at Natasha pointedly. “Do you expect me to know? I don’t attempt to insult him. He insults my family name. If he really hates me, why does he invite me to his parties? Don’t bother answering. I know why,” she grumbled into her wine glass. Her eyes drifted all around the party. It made her sick to look at all the smiling people. Only a handful of them seemed genuine.

For the life of her, Natasha could not figure Veronika out. The woman held herself with such confidence, yet she looked like she would rather be anywhere else than here. She looked at everybody with a stone cold look like she didn’t care about any of them. Maybe she didn’t care about any of them.

“He comes off as brash sometimes, but Tony means well,” Natasha defended. “He’s a good man with a difficult personality. Trust me, I’ve worked with him for a while.”

Veronika resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course Natasha would automatically take his side. “Sure he does. I’ll take your word for it, Miss Romanov,” Veronika said, her voice clear without the muffling of a wine glass. She had finished it quickly.

The woman stood up from the bar chair, and Natasha watched her with a frown on her face. People don’t usually leave before she does. It doesn’t happen often for the sake of talking to a spy. Besides, Natasha wasn’t done talking to her yet.

“Where are you going?” Natasha called after the woman who adjusted her dress around her. The material fell around her like a waterfall, and Veronika was extra careful with drinking or eating. She would hate to ruin such a pretty dress.

“I have to go,” Veronika said, going back to her cold nature. “It was lovely meeting you, Miss Romanov.” With that, Veronika left with her head held high. She dragged attention to herself as she left the party.

Natasha watched the path Veronika walked even after the elevator doors closed.


	3. Closed Doors

Her day at the office was tedious as it always was. There were always governments and agencies that expected their orders to be filled immediately. They annoyed Veronika to no ends as a lot of things did. No one became high priority over anyone else because of a name.

“Miss Moreau, you have a man here claiming he has a meeting with you,” her secretary said into the phone.

“Send him in,” Veronika ordered, looking over her paperwork. She signed a couple things, shuffling paper as a man walked into her office. She looked up from her chair to see Steve Rogers in her office.

Slowly, with a calculating gaze, Veronika leaned back in her chair. Her eyes grew colder when Natasha slipped into the room with him.

“Mister Rogers, Miss Romanov,” she addressed, both of them greeting her back. She gestured to the two chairs in front of her desk. Steve sat down while Natasha opted to stand by the large window that took up one wall of her office.

“What brings you here?” Veronika questioned. She trained her gaze on Steve Rogers who looked guiltily down at the floor. When he didn’t answer her, she turned to Natasha.

“Bucky told us that he talked to you at Tony’s party a couple nights ago,” Natasha informed her. Steve Rogers’s ears began to turn red.

Veronika let a small frown slip onto her face before she made it passive again. James, otherwise known as Bucky, was the Winter Soldier. He was also the man she talked to on the balcony.

“This concerns you why? I can assure you we were nothing but pleasant,” Veronika said, her voice cold. Why did matters such as this one concern them? Sure, Steve Rogers was Bucky’s best friend, but he didn’t need to interrogate every person Bucky talked to.

Natasha walked from the window to sit down like Veronika had originally offered for her to do. She sat down like she hadn’t been given permission, lounging in her chair lazily. Veronika watched her with a raised eyebrow.  
“We know about your company’s previous affiliation with Hydra,” Steve finally spoke up. His ears were no longer red, and his gaze held strong as Veronika looked at him.

Veronika’s back stiffened. The company’s affiliation with those kinds of organizations was over. She erased them long ago by creating contracts groups and agencies had to sign before Moreau Inc. would sell them weapons. They got background checks after background checks on them. Before, they would simply sell weapons no questions asked.

“Moreau Incorporated’s previous affiliation is exactly what it sounds like. Previous. I can assure you, Mister Rogers, that we no longer affiliate ourselves with such a group. Aren’t they supposed to be gone, anyways?” Veronika asked. Natasha watched her carefully, but she put a gentle smile on her lips.

“Forgive me, Veronika. You’re right. Hydra is gone. We just had a couple concerns. Thank you for assuaging them,” Natasha lured, placing her hand on top of Veronika’s that was on the desk. Veronika resisted the urge to pull her hand away, instead giving Natasha a small smile.

“Of course,” Veronika said shortly. 

Steve and Natasha got up to leave, and they reached the doorknob. Veronika’s voice stopped them from going any further.

“I just have one question,” Veronika said. Her European accent seemed more pronounced as she sent a chill down their spines. “If you were truly concerned about this company, why didn’t you ask the man who owns it?”

Steve looks to Natasha warily. Natasha turned back around to meet Veronika’s gaze. “We didn’t want to disturb your father. After all, we do worry about his health, Veronika.”

They left immediately after that.

Veronika was no fool. They knew they weren’t here because of Bucky. They were here for something else, and it had to do with their company. They had brought up affiliations with Hydra, which really meant one thing. SHIELD and the Avengers were suspicious of her father’s company for illegal selling and buying of weapons.

The only reason they were here was to plant a bug in her office. She thought about finding it and destroying it, but she decided on another plan. Veronika would lead SHIELD and the Avengers off their company’s scent. She would make them trust her. After all, the only illegal trades they do are extremely confidential and personally handled by her. Sometimes, they were the only reason the company stayed afloat.

After a few more hours of work, Veronika left for the day. As her chauffeur drove her to her family’s penthouse, she wondered if she could sue SHIELD or the Avengers for invasion of privacy for bugging her office if she could find proof. It was a possibility.

When the car pulled up, her father met her at the door.

“Père,” she greeted. Her father gave her a terse nod, then lead her to the living room. Surprisingly, her brother was there. His hair was greasy and there were multiple stains on his shirt, but he was there. Veronika opted to sit on a different couch than the one Zacchaeus.

“Chéri,” her father said. “I was given notice that Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov visited your office today. What did they want?”

This was about the company. Her father heard about what happened, and he wanted to know. Previously, illegal handlings were done by him. Now, it would be less suspicious if Veronika was to handle them. Veronika was in charge of more public appearances and foreign affairs than anything. Her fluency in English, Dutch, French, and German gave her great qualifications for the job. Nobody would expect a socialite that supposedly has no say in a company to be responsible for illegal weapons trade.

“Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov came into my office under the pretense that they wanted to talk to me about when I talked to James Buchanan Barnes, or the Winter Soldier,” Veronika explained calmly.

Her father’s eyes widened. “You talked to the Winter Soldier?” he yelled angrily. Zacchaeus leaned back away from their father’s anger. Veronika stayed put in her seat.

“I didn’t know it was him,” she defended. “We got along. I think he’s on his way to trusting me, though SHIELD could’ve ruined it.”

Leopold got calmer at that development. If the Winter Soldier trusted them, that meant they had a direct connection to SHIELD and the Avengers. That would instantly give them a way into the inner circles. “Go on,” he urged his daughter.

“They brought up our previous association with Hydra. I quickly dismissed the idea that we still had an affiliation with them which is true. Moreau Incorporated doesn’t have any affiliations with Hydra. Natasha Romanov was more suspicious out of the two. She put her hand on mine. Everyone knows I don’t like touching people.”

Her father’s eyes widened. “They were trying to distract you,” he breathed out. Zacchaeus watched on with confusion in his eyes. He didn’t really know what happened in his family’s company. All he knew was that they were rich. He never gave thought to how.

“Yes,” Veronika nodded. “I figured they planted a bug. I found it eventually. They place it under the ledge of my desk so you couldn’t see it unless you were under the desk. I kept it there, though. We can use it to drag them off our scent,” Veronika said quickly before her father could interrupt her.

Leopold thought about it for a moment. They could use this to their advantage. The only one who did illegal trade was Veronika, and she was a mastermind at it. If she could manage to make it look like their company was innocent, SHIELD or the Avengers would have no reason to come knocking on their door.

“What’s going on?” Zacchaeus asked. He was confused by the entire situation. Neither Leopold nor Veronika trusted him with business affairs. He was not business savvy or good at keeping his mouth shut.

Veronika turned to her father. “Why is he here? Don’t we normally keep this between us?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow. Leopold looked to his daughter with his head held high.

“Zacchaeus will be joining you on a business trip you will be making to Belgium,” Leopold informed Veronika. Her eyes widened. She’d have to take her brother on a business trip? She’d lose him within five minutes of getting off the plane.

“What?” Zacchaeus yelled, standing up off the couch he was one. His ratty t-shirt did nothing to help convince Veronika that her father was making the right decision.

“We need to keep up appearances. By doing this, it’ll seem like Zacchaeus is training to take over my company,” Leopold explained, calmer than he had been before.

The Moreau boy was not convinced, however. He still didn’t understand what was going on. “But I’m not taking over the company!”

Veronika rolled her eyes at her brother’s stupidity. “You’re not. Calm down. We’re making it look that way so suspicion is drawn off of me. I’m the criminal here.”

Even when she said it, Veronika knew it was only partially true. She conducted the trade and made the deals, but her father is the one who makes her do it. If she were running the business, it would be an honest one. That’s exactly what Veronika will make it when her father hands it over. This is only a small taste of what it will be like.

“Criminal? Since when are you a criminal?” Zacchaeus questioned, beginning to freak out. He knew that his father wasn’t the best man, but he didn’t think he was bad enough to bring his little sister in on his crimes. Why wasn’t he listening when they would talk about business at the dinner table?

Leopold gave a pointed look to his daughter and gestured for her to tell him. Veronika sighed and began to talk. “I run illegal affairs at Moreau Incorporated. Technically speaking, I am a criminal.”

He couldn’t believe it. His father actually turned his baby sister into a criminal.

Veronika watched his reaction closely. He seemed to be shocked, which was expected. She was more surprised at the look of outrage that crossed Zach’s face. It only seemed to grow exponentially until he exploded.

“You bastard!” he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Leopold. “You brought your own daughter into criminal activity. What kind of man even thinks about doing that?”

Leopold turned defensive. “I’m doing what’s right for her. She needs to learn how to business needs to run because you won’t be able to take over. Your sister is being prepared for what will happen soon.”

“Soon?” Veronika frowned, interrupting their conversation. She stayed in the same position the entire time. Though her family was arguing loudly, she remained cool and relaxed. Zacchaeus wondered how she did it. “Papa, what do you mean soon?”

Their father reined in his anger. “I’m going to retire soon, chéri. I need you to be prepared when I do.”

Zacchaeus was still fuming from their argument. “You’re an unbelievable connard,” he spit, whirling around. He stomped from the living room and up the stairs. The sound of his door slamming reverberated around the entire penthouse.

“Watch him in Belgium. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Leopold said, making his daughter nod. She understood.

“We’ll continue this discussion later about what we need to do about the Avengers and SHIELD. You’re making good decisions already, chéri.”

Veronika lowered her gaze. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she couldn’t stop it. Not right now, at least. She knew what would happen if she stopped illegal trade before her father left. Their company would end up in the hands of another, and Veronika would never get to purify the company.

“Thank you, père.”


	4. Seven Years

Three days later, Zacchaeus was still fuming. Veronika tried her best to ease the tension that was gripping the Moreau household, but it was futile attempts. Perhaps the business trip was a good idea. God knows what her father and brother would do if she wasn’t there.

Even now, as they boarded the plane, they said nothing to each other. Zacchaeus just boarded the plane with a heated glare pointed at their father. Veronika sighed.

“Remember what I said, chèri,” Leopold said standing tall. Veronika met his height, keeping her head held high.

“I understand, Papa. I’ll ensure Zacchaeus understands the stakes. You don’t have to worry about his compliance,” Veronika assured him.

“I can always count on you,” her father doted with a smile. Veronika flashed him a smile, then stepped onto the plane.

“I’m counting on you!” her father called after her. Veronika kept going deeper into the plane. She set her bag down by a chair facing her brother. Zach was looking out of the plane with the same angry expression he’d been wearing three days ago.

“How do you tolerate him? He’s a sick connard,” Zach spit viciously. Veronika looked at him with impatience.

Veronika wanted this trip to go smoothly. She wished Zach would understand that their father was doing what he thought was best. If that meant doing something illegal, so be it. He had to ensure that their name would still be held in high regard after he retired from the company.

“The plan is for you to act like me. Sit at the head of the table and direct meetings. At previous meetings in Belgium, I acted like you couldn’t make it for personal reasons. Now, I’ll sit behind you and act like your intern. Not all the council members understand French, so we’ll be speaking Dutch. 

“Since you do not know anything other than French or English, I will be translating. None of the council members understand English. Speak nonsense in English and I’ll translate it to Dutch. Whatever I say is something I think should be done. Do not attempt to communicate with them in French. Most of them will try to switch the language to French so you can speak yourself with them understanding. Unless you want to be the center of attention, I wouldn’t dare.”

By the time Veronika is done talking, Zach is still wearing an angry expression. “He trained you good.”

Veronika frowned at that. “Why do you say that?”

“You have it done to the exact science on how to get what you want. You know how to conduct illegal trade right under your brother’s nose, and you know how to ensure I don’t get involved in it. Are you trying to make sure that I don’t get a say in the company?”

She felt anger tinge her vision. The company was not his to have a say in. She had been training her entire life for this while Zach had been out partying.

“It’s not your place to speak. These people will eat you alive if they know you do not know what you’re talking about. I’ll have to step in and reveal I will be taking over the company. Then people will be curious why we hid it, they’ll look into it, and they may find some incriminating things. Do you want that, cher frère? Do you want me to go to prison?”

Zach cast his eyes down. “No, Ronnie. You know that. I want that connard to go to jail. You don’t deserve to go to jail. He does. He brought you into this. Do you not see how wrong it is?”

Veronika allowed her eyes to soften. “I’m sorry. I can’t do anything about it. Not while Papa is in charge. Once he retires, things will change. Je promets.”

Her brother looked up at her with a hoping gleam in his eyes. “No, Ronnie, things will change after this trip. That I promise to you.”

He got up from his chair and went to the bathroom. Veronika stared at his back while he walked with wide eyes, trying to think of what he meant.

“Zach? Zach! Zacchaeus! What do you mean things will change?” Veronika yelled. Her voice was loud and clear, her accent becoming more and more prominent as it did when she began to freak out.

When he was done going to the bathroom, he walked back out into the plane. Veronika stood there were her eyes wide and horrified. If Zach did anything rash, she’d land herself in jail. He had three days to do whatever. She prayed to whatever deity out there that Zach didn’t do anything.

“What did you do, Zach? What did you do! Tell me!” Veronika demanded. Her face was beginning to be tinged with red as her throat burned. She was terrified. Absolutely terrified. She was hoping that once her father retired, she could quietly purify the company in a way that wouldn’t draw suspicion. If she was found out to be a criminal, she’d be jailed and her company would be gone.

Zach raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t do anything, sœur. Why do you accuse me of such things?” He questioned. He adopted a facial expression that was the epitome of innocence.

Veronika sighed, convincing herself that Zach would never betray the family like that. He knew what would happen if he told the authorities anything. Veronika would have a nice place in jail.

“I know. I know. I’m sorry,” she said, rubbing her hands over her face. She slumped down into a chair. Zach watched her carefully. He’d never really seen Veronika act like this before. She was always sophisticated and graceful with her movements. She never slouched or lounged sideways across an armchair. It was then that Zach realized how big an affect this entire thing had on her.

Veronika placed her elbows on her knees and her hands covered her face. She shut her eyes, trying to assure herself everything would be okay. Any other time that something like this had happened, it always worked out fine. She’d been doing this for nine years. She could handle this.

“Ronnie?” Zach called quietly. Veronika looked up at him through her fingers. Pieces of hair hung in her vision as she waited for Zach to continue.

“I… I’m sorry for scaring you,” Zach finally said. She opened her mouth to dismiss him, but he continued. “I know how stressful this must be for you. How much pressure does Papa put on you?”

“He’s fine,” Veronika mumbled. “He expects a lot out of me, which is okay. I need to be prepared for when I take over the company.”

“What do you plan on doing with the company? When Papa retires, what will you do with the company?” Zach questioned, sliding down into the seat opposite her.

Veronika took her head out of her hands, face read from her hands. “Purify it. I plan to purify Moreau Incorporated. It will become the great company it once was before Papa tarnished it,” she vowed.

Zach believed her when she said that. “How long have you been illegally trading weapons, Ronnie? How long has Papa made you do this?”

“He doesn’t make me do anything, Zachie. It’s of my own willingness that I do this,” Veronika said, but they both know that isn’t true. It’s Leopold’s influence that causes her to do this.

“No, it’s not. It’s Leopold’s fault,” Zach spit. Veronika whipped her head up. Zach had never used their father’s actual name. It was considered extremely disrespectful within the Moreau household to use the parents actual when being addressed by a child.

“Zach,” Veronika hissed. “How could you call him that?”

Zacchaeus shrugged offhandedly. He didn’t care that he just disrespected his father’s name. He only cared on making sure that Veronika was safe.

“How long has Leopold made you do this?” Zach questioned again. His voice filled with malice when he said his name again.

Veronika flinched at the use of her father’s actual name. Calling him a connard was one thing. Calling him by his actual name was completely different. She didn’t say anything this time, though.

“Seven years. Papa has made me do this for seven years,” she finally admitted. Zach had to refrain from standing up and hitting something. He was furious.

Seven years. That’s how long his father had been manipulating his sister, and he didn’t even know. It dawned on Zach that she’d been doing this since she got out of university.

“How long have you thought about changing it?” Zach questioned her. Veronika found it odd that Zach was asking these questions, but not totally out there. He had been left in the dark for seven years.

“Since I began doing it. When Papa sat me down and talked to me about it, I said no. I told him I would never disgrace our company like that. Papa persisted. He told me that if I didn’t do it, he wouldn’t hand the company over to me. It’d become someone else’s.

“I can’t do that, Zachie. I can’t allow my company to go into someone else’s hands,” Veronika said. Zach nodded his head, agreeing with her. Veronika had dreamt of taking over the company since she was a young girl. They couldn’t just take that away from her. It’d destroy her.

When Veronika leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, Zach stopped the device he was holding. He got the entire confession on tap. He got his father’s involvement, Veronika’s confession on wanting out, and now he had one thing left to do.

He wouldn’t sit idly while his family destroyed itself from the inside. He may have lied to Veronika when he said that he didn’t do anything, but that was a smaller thing. Their father thought he was doing the right thing for Veronika, and so did Zach.

Within a few minutes, the confession was sent to SHIELD and the Avengers. Zacchaeus would make sure his father fell but his sister would still stand tall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly did not know i'd be spitting out chapters this fast. hope they're okay!
> 
> also this is my first story on here so if i could get some feedback that'd be great! thanks for reading!


	5. Bittersweet

If there’s anything Veronika Rose Moreau hated, it was flying. While the plane descended, she gripped the armrests tight. She feared a day where the plane was going down and not by the pilot’s doing. Eventually, the light for the seatbelts flashed off, and Veronika shoved the thing off.

She stood up rapidly, her movements extremely fast compared to that of her brother’s. He was tired, napping almost the whole way to Flanders, Belgium. This was, of course, answering some of SHIELD’s questions about the video.

Yes, this is a real video.

Yes, she did confess to illegal gun trade.

No, she doesn’t know about I sent it.

We’re going to Flanders, Belgium.

Zach hesitated before sending SHIELD their location. God knows what Veronika would do if she found out that Zach gave them up. SHIELD sent back an affirmative that they, along with the Avengers, were on their way. Zach didn’t reply.

When all their bags were being packed into the trunk of a nice car by a waiting chauffeur, they both got in. Zach restlessly bounced his leg up and down while anxiously looking out the window.

It’s been four days since the big fight. They’d flown across the Atlantic Ocean overnight, arriving in Flanders International Airport when the sun was hardly hanging in the sky. Veronika was still blessedly unaware of her brother’s betrayal. He planned to keep it that way until SHIELD or the Avengers arrived.

“Why are you so anxious?” Veronika asked, scrolling through something on her phone. She didn’t bother to look at her brother, instead training her focus on the article written about her.

The trunk of the car slammed shut and the driver came around front. He shut the door and started the engine. They began their drive to the Moreau Estate outside of Flanders.

“What?” Zacchaeus asked, dragging his attention from the window to his sister. He didn’t know why he kept looking out the window. It’s not as if Iron Man was just going to fly down on them.

Veronika dropped her phone in her lap having enough of the article filled with bullshit. She instead looked at Zach. “Why do you keep shaking your leg? Are you trying to start an earthquake?” Veronika questioned, raising her eyebrow.

Zach quickly stopped shaking his leg, biting his lip instead. “I’m fine. I just got some jitters from the flight, I guess,” he excused.

The girl didn’t believe him fully, though. She knew when he was hiding something. The way her brother was acting was too suspicious.

“You were sleeping almost the entire time,” she said. Her face went stone cold as she expected his answer quickly.

“I… I hate the descent part. Makes me feel uh… what’s the word? English word for mal à l'aise?” he asked her.

“Queasy or uncomfortable?” she offered. He nodded his head vigorously.

“Yes, that’s the word. It makes me feel queasy,” he said with a proud smile. He pronounced queasy oddly, and Veronika almost smiled at it.

Without another word, Veronika dragged her attention back to her phone. He had to refrain from letting out a sigh of relief as she began scrolling through things again.

Zach took out his phone. He looked at the messages SHIELD had sent him, and he even got messages from the Avengers. They told him to send them his location, and he told them the address of the Moreau Estate along with the passcode to get in. He also told him he doesn’t want his sister getting hurt in this. They agreed to peacefully bring her back to America.

He could only pray that they were telling the truth. He’d be broken if they dragged Veronika back to America.

Veronika didn’t know what her brother was doing on his phone, but she also didn’t care. She answered some texts from other socialites telling them they had to come for tea. Every time she sent one of those messages, she rolled her eyes. There was no way tea was happening with them.

She scrolled through her social medias, e-mails, and other things, but nothing interesting caught her eyes. Eventually, she put her phone down and closed her eyes. There was still another hour to go until they reached the Moreau Estate.

The Moreau Estate was the prized possession in the Moreau family. Five generations has occupied the manor. When Veronika was less than ten years old, her father began a renovations and even a remodel on both the interior and the exterior of the house. She hardly remembers what the house used to look like, but now it had both the traditional feeling with modern accents.

When Veronika woke up, she recognized the landscape. They were growing nearer and nearer to the estate. She looked out the window excitedly.

“What are you doing?” Zach questioned when she put her hand against the car window. She looked over her shoulder at her brother.

“We’re getting close,” she said with a grin. This was her favorite spot in the whole world. Belgium was her home, no matter if she was an American citizen.

Veronika then remembered Zach doesn’t visit Belgium that often. He isn’t really a part of the company, so he has no reason to be in Belgium. Besides, he was always too busy sleeping around or drinking to really give care to his heritage.

Once the car came to a stop in front of the manor, Veronika practically jumped out of the car. Her high heels hurriedly clicked across the stone to get up to the front door where it was promptly opened by Maxime, the butler.

At the sight of the butler, Veronika grinned. Zach was convinced his sister was on drugs. Veronika never smiled this much or got this excited.

“Maxxy!” Veronika called excitedly. The aged man smiled gently at the nickname Veronika had given her all those years ago.

“Niki,” Maxime called back. Veronika gave him a small hug, welcoming herself back to Belgium. She loved it here.

When she pulled away, she looked into the interior of the house. The entrance room was circular with faux marble flooring and a giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was a staircase on one side and the entrance to the library on the other side. Straight ahead was the grand living room. Nobody really spent time in the living room. It was only when they had important guests did they really use it. The family room was a more in use.

Veronika drifted up the staircase with brass railings as Zacchaeus followed closely behind. He had absolutely no idea where he was supposed to go.

It was almost like Veronika was on autopilot. She automatically opened the third door on the right to reveal her bedroom with the exposed rafters and king-size bed sitting against the middle of her wall. All her stuff was in the exact place she had put it when she had last been here one year ago. Everything was kept clean, however.

“Uh, Veronika?” Zacchaeus said quietly from her doorway. His voice wasn’t heard when she remembered Louisa.

Veronika gasped, shoving Zach out of the way to get down the stairs. She called Maxime’s name, and he appeared in the entryway to the living room.

“Yes, Miss Niki?” Maxime asked her. His Dutch accent was very prominent, but Veronika knew hers was no better at time.

“Where’s Louisa?” Veronika questioned. The aging butler frowned, defining his wrinkles even more.

“Mister Moreau never told you? Louisa has had twins,” Maxime informed her with a smile. Even though the twins were now almost a month old, Maxime always got excited when he thought about them.

Louisa began working at the Moreau Estate when she was fresh out of college, also about the time Veronika turned eighteen. Louisa has been at the estate for almost eleven years now, and she had always wanted a child. Now, she had two. Veronika couldn’t be happier for her.

For some reason, Veronika was always happier in Belgium than she was America. There was something about the country where she felt at home everywhere. In America, she was cold and calculating with every move. She was bitter about nothing in America. While she was in Belgium, she felt warm inside like straight whiskey was poured into her.

The honeymoon feeling would wear off soon, however. Once the effect of being in Belgium wears off, she’ll be back to her cold self. She couldn’t be happy in Belgium. She had to be a businesswoman.

“I still don’t know where I’m sleeping!” Zacchaeus called from upstairs. He was getting restless just standing inside a hallway.

Maxime walked up the stairs to guide Zach to his room where he would be staying for the next week. While they did that, Veronika occupied herself with looking around the house. It was the exact same as it was the last time she’d been there, but she loved exploring the house for no other reason than because she can. It was to be her house, too. Zach would get the property in America while she got the European property. All of them added up just about equated each other with the American property being a little more valuable.

Veronika allowed herself to sit contently on the back patio watching the sun set. The honeymoon phase was about worn off, and she felt herself getting colder and colder.

Zacchaeus walked onto the back patio and sat down in the armchair next to her. For awhile, they both sat in silence. They only watched the sunset.

Then Zach broke the peaceful silence that had gone over them. He had to ask her before it happened. He had to know what their relationship would be like after this.

“What would you do if someone betrayed the family?” Zach asked. Veronika looked at him curiously from her seat, but Zach wouldn’t look at her.

“Do I have to be worried?” Veronika questioned. She did it again. Raising her eyebrow like a signature move. Zach wondered why she did it so much.

“No, I’m just wondering,” Zach said, realizing that didn’t sound convincing at all. “I would never betray you, but what would happen if someone in the company found out what you were doing? What if they told the authorities or the Avengers?”

Veronika frowned, then her face turned cold. “I’d deal with them accordingly. I’d ensure that everything I have is clean, the employee would be fired, and I would deal with the consequences of being accused of something like that.”

Zach finally looked over at her. “That’s it? You would just fire them and be done with them?” That didn’t sound like his sister at all.

“I’d humiliate them. Debunk their claims and find anything that would make it look like they were desperate for money or attention. I’ve done it before.”

Both of them thought about the woman who was fired from Moreau Inc. three years ago for false information. Zach felt himself grow mal à l'aise or queasy again from the thought of knowing that woman was punished for knowing the truth.

“Was it hard?” Zach questioned. Veronika looked closely at her older brother. Though at times Veronika questioned if he could be anything but a fool, she knew he had more brain to him than he thought.

“No,” Veronika spoke coldly. A chill went down Zach’s spine at her tone. “I didn’t find it hard. To this day, I don’t regret it. Do I have something to worry about, Zachie?”

Zach shook his head slowly. “No. No, Veronika. Nothing,” he assured her. She stared at him for awhile before nodding her head and looking away.

“What happens if Papa pins this on you?” Veronika looked at him questioningly, and he repeated his question again in a different. “What if, when you’re caught, Papa blames you?”

“Papa wouldn’t do that,” Veronika assured him, though Zach was still unsure. “He dug his own grave, and he knows it. If anyone goes down, he’ll make sure it’s him and only him. My only job was to make sure everything goes as planned and that I don’t tell anyone.”

“But if family did betray you,” Zach insisted, “what would you do?”

Veronika looked away from her brother and back into the sunset. The sun glared into her eyes as she debated an answer to his question. Something was happening, and it had to do with the crimes. Veronika tasted bile when she realized Zach made a very rash decision.

“I’d deal with it accordingly,” Veronika finally decided. “They’re not truly family if they betray you. You know that, right?”

Zach nodded too vigorously. “Of course I know that. I’d never betray you, Ronnie.”

“Yes,” Veronika thought. “You’d never betray me, but what about Papa? Don’t you realize that if you betray him, you betray me, too?” She hoped he did. She prayed that he did realize that.

They once again bathed in the silence as dusk took its hold. Veronika stood from her chair, grabbing the teacup that was now empty.

“Zacchaeus,” Veronika called gently. Zach’s head snapped to attention and looked at her. Veronika looked at him with cold eyes. “I hope you know I meant what I said. You’re not family if you betray your supposed family.”

Once again, Zach nodded. He had to make sure she trusted him, though she knew that was asking too much. She was already suspicious. Veronika would never trust him again.

She would never trust him again if she got out of this alive. She just had to make it past dessert. Zach prayed to God that she would.

“Comme on fait son lit, on se couche,” she recited sadly. Her voice was quiet, a stark comparison to what it was moments before.

Zach knew that Veronika knew he betrayed her, but he didn’t know which one of them her words were aimed at. Perhaps she aimed them at herself, or maybe she aimed them at him. Either way, they were fitting.

As you make your bed, so you must lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my favorite book right now?


	6. The Bed He Made

The meeting went smoothly. While Zach talked nonsense in English, Veronika acted like she was listening to him and smoothly “translated” it to Dutch. She laid a plan that everyone approved of, and the meeting felt like it flew by for Veronika.

Afterwards, everyone congratulated Zach on doing his job right in French and Dutch, and Veronika was forced to act like her brother was a smoothtalker and actually made up the plan. It annoyed her to no ends, but she had to go with it for the sake of confidentiality.

She couldn’t wait for the day that she could reveal to them that she’s responsible for it all.

Veronika got her usual round of people who asked her why her father couldn’t make it. She quickly excused him as being busy, and she eventually she excused herself and Zacchaeus.

When they got into the car, Zacchaeus groaned. He loosened his tie and took off his suit jacket. “How do you do that every day?” he groaned, throwing his jacket on the empty seat next to him.

Veronika looked at him unimpressed. “I don’t drink alcohol for breakfast,” she quipped, refraining herself from glaring at him. Now was not the time to start a real fight.

“We’re going to explore the city,” Veronika informed Zach. He froze, looking up at her with wide eyes.

“Can’t we go back to the house first?” he questioned. SHIELD and the Avengers were there, waiting for them to get back. He told them the time of their meeting and what time they were supposed to be back. If they started driving now, they’d get back right at the time Zach said they would hopefully be back. Exploring the city would only delay that.

Veronika expertly quirked a brow. She had gotten a lot of practice over the years. “Why do you need to go back to the house?” she inquired.

Zach scrambled to get an answer. “This suit is so uncomfortable!” he complained. “I want to change into something decent before we explore.”

Finally, after a while of pleading, Veronika agreed to go home before exploring the city. Zach almost sighed in relief, but he felt sadness inside because they would never explore Flanders together. Veronika had already seen the city, she just wanted Zach to.

He felt bad for what was going to happen soon.

The city flew by and it soon turned to grass and trees. Eventually they pulled up to the sight of the Moreau manor. Zach let out a breath when he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

They told him to stay out of the house while they arrested Veronika, and he almost felt like disobeying them to make sure they didn’t abuse his sister. He knew he couldn’t do that, though. They would instantly lose trust in him.

Instead, Zach discreetly loosened his dress shoe. When the time was right, he would slip it off of his foot and stay behind a little bit while would slowly put it on. Then, Veronika would go inside by herself.

He didn’t really want to think of what would happen after that. What if SHIELD went back on their word and dragged Veronika out of the house by her hair? He shook those thoughts out of his head. They were there to help.

When the car pulled up in front of the house, Veronika got out first. Zach followed slowly behind. She made it halfway up the steps when she turned around.

“We’re here because of you. Why are you so slow?” Veronika questioned. Zach pointed to the shoe that was now unattached from his foot. Veronika rolled her eyes and turned around. Her brother was an imbecile sometimes.

With a sigh, Veronika pushed the door open. “Maxxy,” she called, freezing in the doorway. “Maxxy?”

Maxime was always there to greet Veronika when she came back from the city. No matter what, she would always see him waiting for her in the entrance hall. Something was wrong.

SHIELD Agents flooded the entrance hall. Their guns were trained only on her. She looked desperately around for an escape, but saw there were none. Veronika knew she was done when the Avengers made their own appearance.

All her exits were blocked off. There was nowhere for her to run. They all looked at her expectantly.

“Get on your knees!” one SHIELD Agent yelled at her. Slowly, while looking into all of their eyes, she lowered her body onto her knees. When she looked around the circle, she saw the Winter Soldier there. His gaze was unforgiving as he trained a gun on her.

“Put your hands on top of your head!” the same agent yelled. She did so slowly, keeping her eyes trained on James Buchanan Barnes. She made no indication she was scared.

A SHIELD Agent came up behind her and pushed her onto her stomach with her hands behind her back. Handcuffs clasped around each wrist as she was pushed into the ground. The agents got closer to her, keeping their guns trained on her.

They pulled her out of the house where Zach was waiting. She met his concerned gaze with a glare. Zach quickly ran to one of the Avengers, pleading with them. The agents stopped Veronika in their tracks.

Eventually, they gestured for the agents to bring her over. They stopped her right in front of Zach. Her face revealed nothing as she gazed at him.

“I’m sorry,” Zach said. His eyes held only sorrow. “They’ll help you, Ronnie. They’ll help you cleanse the company.”

“Don’t you see, Zachie? It’s not my company to clean at this point. You should’ve waited, you stupid boy. The company is in Papa’s name. Only a fraction of it is in mine. This isn’t my battle right now.”

“Papa was arrested, too,” Zach interrupted. “The company will go to us. I had a lawyer look at it.”

Veronika could have let a breath of relief at that, but she couldn’t. Not while she was being arrested, at least. Zach looked at her, pleading for her to understand.

“I had to do it, Ronnie,” Zach begged again. He just wanted to hear that she understood why he did it. She had to understand.

“No, you didn’t. You’re the same rash little boy as you were before. People praise you, but they shouldn’t. Zacchaeus, I told you family never betrays each other. Look what you’ve done.” Her voice was so cold when she said it. Zach doubted she even cared for him anymore. She was right. She warned him, and she wasn’t lying. He wasn’t family to her anymore.

“Ronnie, please,” Zach pleaded. He wanted her to say she was just kidding, that she still loved him. Deep in his heart, he knew that she wouldn’t.

The Avengers watched their conversation carefully. They were waiting for Veronika to lash out and try to hurt Zacchaeus out of spite, but she never did. She was calm and collected, the exact opposite of Zach at this point.

“You made your bed,” Veronika sneered. “Now go lay in it, Zacchaeus.”

She refused to talk to him after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am on a roll!


	7. One Condition

Within a day, Veronika was back in the United States of America. More specifically, she was in SHIELD custody. Right now, her hand was chained to a metal table as she stared at herself in a mirror that obviously held people on the other side.

The door banged open, and Veronika could have groaned when she realized Tony Stark walked into the room. She would have taken almost anyone over Tony Stark.

“Veronika!” Tony Stark called cheerfully. He dropped a file on the table and slid into the seat across from her. “Fancy seeing you here, though I’m not surprised. You know, I always had my suspicions about you.”

She famously quirked her eyebrow. “Did you? Care to elaborate on that? I always found myself a pleasant person to be around.”

Tony scoffed, opening the file. He began to rummage through it. “Well, it started when you didn’t want to sleep with me-”

“You’re more than ten years older than me. I would have been in preschool while you were in high school,” she commented drily.

The man froze, thinking about that for a second. His face turned sour at that way of putting it. “That’s disgusting,” he said. Veronika rolled her eyes.

“That’s why I said it. Puts things into perspective, no?” she said coyly. Tony leaned back in his chair, assessing the woman in front of him as she talked.

Even when she was handcuffed to a table, Veronika held herself with confidence. She thought she’d be getting out of this situation. Tony couldn’t scoffed at that. If he had any choice in it, she’ll be given life in prison. But it wasn’t up to him. So, he gave her her options.

“SHIELD has decided to be gracious enough to give you two choices. Your first choice is to go to jail for ten years without bail or parole. If it was up to me, that’d be your only choice,” he made sure to add, making Veronika roll her eyes. “Your second choice is to help convict your father and take down the empire he built through you.”

Veronika froze. How did they know it was her father’s doing that she ended up here?

Tony grabbed a small tablet from his pocket and began playing an audio recording. She recognized both her and Zach’s voice. The more she listened, the more she realized that it was their conversation on the plane. The connard tricked her. He made her unknowingly confess.

“Remember that conversation you and your brother had? He was nice enough to give it to us. There’s some pretty useful information on there,” Tony grinned. He thought he had her in a corner. Some animals don’t attack until threatened.

“Why do you hate me?” Veronika questioned, morphing her face to be neutral. She tilted her head to the side, looking at Tony with big eyes. At his confused expression, she repeated, “What did I do to make you hate me, Mister Stark?”

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they awaited Tony’s answer. Tony himself seemed to be holding his breath. “It’s nothing personal,” was his final answer.

Veronika rolled her eyes. “Of course it’s personal, Mister Stark. Everything is personal. This is completely personal. Isn’t the spy or someone trained in interrogation supposed to do this job? Or did you specially request talking to me? I know I’m a pleasant person, but not that pleasant.”

Tony tightened his fists at the sight of her small smirk. Her words didn’t matter, though. She was still in a corner. It was still jail or betraying her father.

“Because even though you’ve seen what weapons can do to people, you still manufacture them,” Tony finally spit out. Veronika wasn’t impressed. That was the reason? She received mail like that all the time. People hated her family for the weapons they produced.

She sat up straight again, her neck like an arrow. “And what happens if Moreau Incorporated takes their name out of the weapons industry? The next company comes up and becomes number one. Do you really want to see who’s next, or will you be satisfied with the company that’s already there?”

“Your family is an insult to any manufacturer out there,” Tony spit at her. She didn’t even flinch, instead tsking at Tony like he was a small child.

“Heureux sont les enfants dont les pères sont damnés,” she sang. Tony furrowed his eyebrows at her sudden change to French.

“Sorry, Frenchie, you’re gonna have to translate for me,” Tony said drily. It was a sick satisfaction for Veronika to know that Tony doesn’t know something. There are so many things that she knows that he never will.

Veronika let out a fake groan, acting as if she were exasperated that he didn’t understand. “No one gets rich quickly if he is honest,” she finally translated.

“Speaking in idioms now, are we?” Tony laughed. “You’re running out of ideas on how to avoid this. SHIELD’s being nice. Even though I want you in jail, I would suggest taking down the empire you helped start.”

With that, Tony Stark got up and left the interrogation. He left all papers lay on the table, and she picked one of them up. She realized that these were different payments deposited into fake bank accounts. The people whose name they were under didn’t exist. They were all Veronika Moreau, and SHIELD knew that.

This was enough evidence to get Veronika in prison, and everyone knew it. It was up to Veronika whether or not she was going to condemn herself to prison.

“I’d like to speak with a lawyer,” Veronika called out. She got no reply. There would be no decision making unless she talked with her lawyer.

Five minutes later, a lawyer walked into the room. It was her lawyer. The woman dropped her briefcase on the table, unclasping it to get files and a computer out of the case.

“Emelie,” Veronika greeted. Emelie greeted her back, sitting down across from her. She clasped her hands together, staring at Veronika intensely.

“I have to say, Miss Moreau, I didn’t expect this out of you,” Emelie stated tersely, raising her eyebrows as she spoke. Her forehead increasingly got more wrinkled.

Veronika wiped any trace of a smile off of her face. “If I’m honest, I didn’t expect this out of myself either.” Emelie nodded shortly at her reply.

Emelie began to shuffle papers around. “You’re faced with ten years in prison without bail or parole. Your other option is to tell them about your father and the empire you helped build. Miss Moreau, please consider your options. Your father is helping hurt people. Think about it for a second.”

The convict lowered her gaze, looking at all the files. She couldn’t get out of this. Veronika was guilty, but she had principles. Slowly, she brought her gaze back up to Emelie.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to be the second Moreau to betray the family today,” Veronika spoke honestly. Going with the option everyone was telling her to went against her strict family code. It was her hide or her honor.

Emelie took a deep breath. She put her hand on top of Veronika’s. “Miss Mor-Veronica, please understand what you’re faced with. We’ve been friends since preschool. I don’t want to see you in jail. You know that what’s happened is wrong. I also know that you’ve dreamt of taking over that company since you were in preschool. Going to jail will ruin all your chances. But I do know that Moreau’s are people with their morals. You never stray from your morals. Building this empire went against them.

“You’re not betraying your father. He already betrayed you. He’ll lose all his properties, and they’ll go to you. It’s revenge, Veronika, not betrayal. By making you a criminal, your father broke your family code. Get back at him, Veronika. Watch as his life crumbles and your head can still be held high.”

The words Emelie spoke easily swayed Veronika. Her father did betray. Moreau’s were very strict on conduct. Becoming a criminal was against everything she had been taught. Her father told her that it was okay that she was doing this. Now she was being taught that it wasn’t.

“My brother betrayed me. I told him to let me handle the situation. Papa told me about his plans to retire in a few month’s time. That was more than enough time to purify Moreau Incorporated from the inside.”

“You planned on doing this all secretly?” Emelie questioned, a frown on her face. Veronika nodded her head.

“It’s easier to do when the media’s eyes aren’t on you. I was going to give a list of their names to the authorities,” Veronika finally revealed.

Emelie’s eyes widened. “Ronnie, want to mean a list of names? You know exactly who you were selling to?”

Veronika rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair. She was completely relaxed. “Of course. I wasn’t lying about background checks or contracts I make them sign.”

“Where is the list? We can end this right now. We’ll convict your father, and you can have both the company and revenge,” Emelie said hurridly. “We’ll request someone to retrieve the list.”

“No need,” Veronika said lazily. “It’s in my right shoe. I always carry it around. If someone found that, I’d be dead within two days.”

Veronika swung her right leg up on the table, stretching herself in odd ways. Her hands couldn’t go too far from the table, but she also had to get her foot up there.

The door slammed open as Emelie pulled Veronika’s heel off. Natasha Romanov made an appearance as Emelie searched for the list. When she couldn’t find it, she looked to Veronika expectantly. Veronika held up her hands with her eyebrows raised.

Natasha Romanov unlocked Veronika’s handcuffs. Veronika held out her hand for the shoe. Emelie placed it in her hand, and Veronika twisted it around.

She did nothing more, though. She stood there, staring at Natasha. The redhead watched Veronika expectantly, waiting for her to pull the list out.

“I want a contract written and signed first,” Veronika stated simply. “I won’t hand the note over until I know SHIELD and the Avengers along with any other agency will drop the charges.”

Emelie stood behind Veronika, and she nodded her head. “I can write one tonight. It’ll be legally binding on both sides,” she promised. Natasha straightened her position, a hand near her gun.

“We’ll escort you to discuss the contract with SHIELD’s lawyers. I’m sure you’ll be able to write one up together. Don’t worry. You’ll all have equal say in it,” Natasha said to Emelie. She then turned to Veronika. “We need assurance that we’ll have the note.”

Without a word, Veronika handed the shoe over. “If I find that SHIELD went back on their promise and got the note out before the contract was signed, I will find a way to warn them,” she promised as Natasha took the shoe. The redhead nodded.

Guards came in and escorted Emelie out to presumably meet with a legal team. Just as Natasha was about to leave, Veronika asked her what she was supposed to do.

“We have more questions concerning the weapons trade,” Natasha revealed to her. Veronika narrowed her eyes. Hadn’t she contributed enough?

“That list will give you all you need,” she said, pointing towards the shoe. “Is that not enough? What else do you need, the name of their first pet?”

Natasha gave her a small glare. “We need to know exactly how your father began this trade. You said that he started with you when you were fresh out of college. I’ll send someone in to ask you more about that.”

Veronika nodded, rubbing her hands over her eyes. She was tired, but she wasn’t done yet. At least her hands weren’t handcuffed to the table anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all i wanna do a series with steve rogers and an ofc idk if anyone will read it tho


	8. Minimum Point

It didn’t take long for another person to enter the room. It wasn’t Tony Stark or Natasha Romanov. Instead, it was James Buchanan Barnes.

Veronika let a coy smile flit across her lips. “James,” she drawled, vividly remembering that night on the balcony. She remembered the way they promised to escape the party together. She supposed that wouldn’t happen now.

Bucky didn’t really greet her. He got right to the point, and Veronika wasn’t sure if she loved or hated him for it. “Tell me about how your father began the trade,” Bucky said gruffly.

She took a deep breath just staring at Bucky before looking to the ceiling. “You all just really want to know about my backstory, don’t you? I guess every villain has to have one.”

The man was surprised that he had to refrain himself from telling her that she wasn’t a villain. He brushed it off as a defense mechanism. This girl had been coerced into weapons trafficking by a man who’s supposed to protect her from that kind of thing. She wasn’t a villain, only a victim.

With another breath, Veronika began. “When I got out of college, my papa began to act odd. He wanted to spend more time with me. He acted nice to me. It was odd. Papa was never nice to me, only expectant that I’m perfect. I suppose after my baiser of a brother, I would be expectant, too.”

Though his face betrayed nothing, Bucky was curious about why she insulted her brother like that. He would have to question her about that later.

“One night, he calls me to his office. Zacchaeus is out getting drunk somewhere or having sex with some girl or guy. I did not know, and I did not care.

“Papa sat me down in the chair across from his desk and began to talk about my maman. He tells me all how she would be proud of me. He tells me how they met and fell in love. I didn’t know where he was going with this.

“He eventually got to the point. He told me Maman was creating something before the time of her death. Something that she intended for me to take over once I got out of college. Papa said he had delayed from it for too long. At this point, it has been one and a half months since I got out of university.

“When he tells me it was illegal and I had to keep it a secret, I was immediately suspicious. Maman never did anything remotely illegal. He seemed intent on this, though. Finally, he told me all about it.”

Bucky interrupted her dialogue, making her frown at him. “Your mother created this empire?” he questioned her, his face remaining passive.

“No,” Veronika spit. “Maman would never push something like that on me. One year in, Papa told me that he lied. He said he needed my compliance in order for this to work. It was too late for me to back at that point. I was neck deep in the black market. The black market was practically mine.

“I began to feel guilt for what I was doing. I was probably destroying innocent lives by doing this, but I couldn’t stop. The gourmandise was too much for me. I continued in that way for five more years. If I’m honest, I don’t remember much from those years. I only know that when I saw a terrorist attack and knew I was probably responsible for it, I knew I dug my grave. I formulated a plan that would destroy the empire I built for my father when he retired. Before his death, he would watch it burn. I swore it to myself.

“Now, that’ll never happen,” she spoke bitterly. “I won’t be the one single-handedly responsible for the downfall of the empire.”

Bucky knew how much she wanted to topple it over and how patient she had been. The girl had been waiting for nearly four years to topple an empire she had been forced to build by a father who manipulated her. Bucky knew no one who was that patient.

He felt oddly sympathetic for the girl. She was ruined by a man she was no intent on ruining. The words which Emelie convinced her with were tainting. She reminded Veronika of her morals and what her father had done. Now, Veronika was on SHIELD’s side.

Except, Veronika wasn’t on their side. This was a situation where SHIELD was cornering her. She needed an out. Her list and backstory would provide her with that. Then, she could destroy the empire once and for all.

“Why do you hate your brother?” Bucky questioned. This was not a question the Avengers had discussed before Bucky entered the room, but it was a question that could give them an idea of the family affairs in the Moreau household.

Veronika seemed uncomfortable by the question, immediately looking away from Bucky. Instead, she occupied her time with looking for cracks in the wall.

“Veronika,” Bucky said, calling her to attention. “Why do you hate your brother?” he said again, giving her a pointed look. He wanted an answer. Now.

“Try as I might, I can’t love my brother. He’s family, but I can’t. He is the least honorable Moreau there is. Zacchaeus doesn’t understand that it’s dishonorable to leave girls’ and guys’ texts read but not replied to. My brother is a stupide, and everyone in my family knows it.

“I’ve heard my grandmother call him a souillure at a family gala once. I can only pray she doesn’t try to rip my hide off when she finds out about this,” Veronika smiled bitterly.

He wasn’t aware that the Moreau’s had living family other than them. He supposed that her father was the most suited to take over the company after her grandfather, but he didn’t know if she actually had any aunts or uncles.

“When the contract is signed and you have the list, will I get to go free?” Veronika asked Bucky. He didn’t know the answer, though. He assumed the answer was yes, but he didn’t do anything to affirm her question. 

Veronika sighed when he didn’t answer. She had to get out of SHIELD’s custody soon to assess the damage. She’d also have to give Zacchaeus a sum of money to stop all affiliations with the Moreau name. By betraying her, he betrayed the family. The rest of them would understand.

For a while, they just sat there. Veronica stared at a wall while Bucky analyzed Veronika. She was different than she was at the party Tony held. She was the same person with the same composure, but she seemed different.

The Veronika he meant was ready to go head on with the world. She questioned the socialites and their honesty of their wealth. She made snide remarks.

This Veronika was only here for revenge. First, it’d be against her father. Then, it’d be against her brother. Bucky hardly wanted to guess how she’d take revenge on her brother. It wasn’t his place to know, however. That didn’t have anything to do with the current investigation.

Eventually, Bucky left the interrogation. Veronika supposed he wasn’t able to take the suffocating silence any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was gonna make this a novelette (7,500-17,500 words) but this will probably end up as a novella (17,500-40,000 words)
> 
> hope you're enjoying it so far!


	9. Fine Print

When they all signed the contract, Veronika was officially a free woman. SHIELD extracted the note from Veronika’s right shoe after some guidance by her. Now, she sat in a meeting room with all the other Avengers.

The age of the Avengers varied. The were men with peppered hair and boys that looked like they hardly passed for a high schooler. Veronika simply waited for someone to make a move so she could finally leave this God forsaken place.

“What do you plan on doing when you get out?” Clint asked her. Veronika turned to him, her faceless expression unchanging. She expected this question to come up.

“I have business I need to take care of, no?” Veronika said. The other Avengers nodded their heads and Clint went back to being silent. Only one person still had questions for her.

“What kind of business?” Bucky asked gruffly. Steve’s head flew out of his hand at Bucky’s question. He hadn’t expected his best friend to speak up at this meeting.

Veronika’s back turned stiff. She knew that all the Avengers were listening in now, but they could do nothing to change her mind. They had, after all, all signed a contract that allowed Veronika her full freedom back.

“Family business if you must know,” she said coldly, her icy eyes staring into Bucky’s. He didn’t flinch or cower away from her like she hoped. Making the Winter Soldier flinch would be some kind of sick pleasure.

“You’re going to take care of your brother,” Natasha realized. That drew everyone’s attention completely. They all watched Veronika carefully as if waiting for her to reveal a plan to kill her brother and hide the body.

The Moreau girl rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to kill Zacchaeus,” she scoffed. “He’ll simply be burnt from the Moreau family name after I talk to Grand-mère.”

All of the Avengers looked to one another, shocked at how casual she was about burning someone from the family crest. It was her own brother, too.

“You would willingly disown a family member just like that?” Wanda questioned, her voice filled with quiet malice. She hated anyone that would push their family around like that. After her brother died, she hated anyone taking advantage of their family. This girl was throwing her entire family away.

Once again, Veronika rolled her eyes. “He won’t be left with nothing. If he’s lucky, he’ll get the properties in California and Colorado. He’ll be given some money and one week to pack up and move out.”

They each wondered how often this kind of thing happened in the Moreau family. Veronika seemed to have it down to a science on how they treated outcasts.

“And your father?” Peter piped up. Veronika rose an eyebrow at his sudden pique of interest in the conversation. “What will you do about him? I wouldn’t think you would do the same thing. Treating your brother that way is kinda harsh, don’t you think? Are you gonna be more gentle because-”

Veronika’s laughter cut him off quickly. Peter cut his rambling as Veronika attempted to control her laughter. This was the first time in a long time that Veronika had laughed like this. A metal-armed assassin loved the sound of it.

“Treat him more gently? You are joking, right?” she asked, sobering up quickly. Peter put his head down as Veronika sighed. “Leopold will be burnt out of the family name for certain. Though grand-mère was his mother, they always loved Maman more. Leopold will be burnt out, and he will get nothing. He manipulated me, disrespected Maman’s memory, and built a criminal empire. Leopold will become nothing to the Moreau’s.

“I’ll be lucky if I’m not ignored for the next year or so,” Veronika finished, getting a few surprised glances. Each Avenger was getting increasingly scared of how the Moreau family was run.

“Ignored by your own family? What kind of family are you?” Steve breathed out, his brows creased.

“A family of honor, Mister Rogers. I had allowed myself to become a pawn for many years now. They’ll see no honor in me. By purifying Moreau Incorporated, I’ll restore my honor and my family will talk to me once again.”

“You’re prepared for that kind of thing to happen? I would hate for my family to ignore me,” Clint scoffed, thinking about his kids trying to give him the silent treatment for more than two minutes. He almost shuddered at the thought of living in a family like Veronika’s.

“Of course. I will not allow my family to know their ignoring me hinders me from my goals. It’ll only urge them to keep doing it.” Veronika spoke as if were the most normal thing in the world for a family to act like this. The Moreau’s were built in the high society on morals and traditions. Of course they’d have discipline.

“That’s messed up,” Sam mumbled under his breath, but Veronika still heard it. She bristled at the comment, but did nothing. If she did anything to insult Sam, who knows what the rest of them would do.

Another silence drifted over them. Veronika wondered how long this would keep going. She just wanted to leave. She had a plane to catch. There was surely turmoil in Belgium, and she had to keep everything under control. Grand-mère was also in Belgium. She would tell her what to do with Zacchaeus.

Fury walked into the room with Tony Stark following closely behind. “Miss Moreau, you are free to go. All charges against you have been dropped.”

“Finally,” Veronika breathed, standing up from her chair. She stretched her limbs like a cat, preparing herself to walk away from the room.

“For safety precautions you will be under house arrest,” Fury continued, making Veronika freeze. “You gave us a list of dangerous people, Miss Moreau. You’re now under the protection of the Avengers.”

“What if I don’t want their protection?” she frowned. She couldn’t be under house arrest. There were too many things that had to be done.

Fury stared at her blankly. “Too bad,” he finally said. “Any more questions?”

“I’m going to Belgium. That’s where my home is,” Veronika said quickly before he could remind her of the house arrest. “There is business I will be able to take care of while in my Belgian home. I will be safe there. I have no need for the protection of these people.”

The rest of the Avengers watched the exchange with amusement. Tony especially found great joy in watching Fury and Veronika fight.

“I would take the protection. You’re in danger, Veronika. I don’t think you wanna die,” Tony said innocently, clicking his tongue. Veronika glared at him, wishing she would punch him in the nose.

“The Winter Soldier will be accompanying you to Belgium, then,” Fury finally stated. Both Bucky and Veronika’s eyes widened. Steve’s did, too.

Veronika bristled again at his lack of faith in her being able to keep herself safe. “Do you really doubt my capabilities that much?” she hissed at Fury.

Fury didn’t seem fazed at her malice, though. He simply ordered Bucky to be ready to travel to Belgium for an undecided amount of time in under two hours. Without another word, Bucky left the room to go pack.

“Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think-”

“Good, Rogers. Keep not thinking. I know what I’m doing. Moreau, I suggest you take the protection. Who knows who’s waiting for you outside now that you’ve been arrested by SHIELD.”

With a deep breath, Veronika made herself calm again. She let the anger flow out of him on the exhale, though not all of it left. There was still malice inside of her.

“Yes, Fury. I do wonder who’s waiting outside for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have the steve rogers/ofc one planned out and it's going to be a series that's like eight parts long. literally can not wait to start writing it and i also can't stop writing this story. i have an itch to write this all the time. is this was anti-writer's block feels like?


	10. Control

Bucky and Veronika exchanged no words at the flight to Belgium. Though she hid it, Veronika’s mind was filled to the brim with anxiety at thoughts of what she might find waiting for her. Maybe instead of just her father and brother being disgraced, she would do. Perhaps her family will just burn the entire branch of the tree.

Veronika resisted shuddering. Bucky would become curious to what she was thinking about if she shuddered. If he knew, then he would know she was insecure and doubtful from her predicament. Nobody could know even she partially doubted herself.

The light for the seatbelt flashed on, and Veronika instantly buckled herself in. She gripped the armrests, trying not to let fear twist her face. She only let go when the plane came to a stop.

She was a woman on a mission when she marched off the plane to the awaiting car. It was the same car with the same man piling in their luggage as last time. Only Bucky really had any luggage to put in. Veronika’s was still in her home.

Home, the place her brother was. The thought of him made her blood boil. The moment he got there, he’d be sent to California or Colorado, his choice. Veronika was feeling gracious.

The entire ride to her home only served to make her even angrier. Why did SHIELD or the Avengers have to meddle in this? It was clear she could’ve handled it. She could still handle it. In fact, she will handle it.

Veronika never once registered the fact that the Winter Soldier was with her in the backseat. He was too silent for her to really make notice of in her fury. At this point, she didn’t care about him. Not yet, anyways.

Once the car stopped, she leapt out of the car and marched up the stairs. Bucky followed quickly behind, not wanting to let a murder happen before he even got out of the car. He followed her as she stopped right in front of a man Bucky knew to be Maxime.

“Where is he?” Veronika demanded to know, her face cold and calculating but her eyes filled with unadulterated fury.

Maxime held his head up high as he told her where her brother was. Veronika bristled when Maxime told her where he was. Why the hell would he go there? Did he find it pleasant to mock her?

She brushed past the aging butler, and Bucky quickly followed behind. Maxime sent the assassin a curious look, but didn’t comment on it. He was surprised Veronika got out of custody so quick.

Veronika slammed the back patio door open, surprising her brother who sat in the same chair he had when they had talked about family betrayal. Oh, the irony that had gathered for this performance.

“What are you still doing in my house?” Veronika hissed, her brother visibly gulping. He wasn’t accustomed to Veronika’s anger or coldness. She was never too rough with him. Though she couldn’t make herself love him, he was still family.

“This is my house, too,” Zacchaeus stated confidently, but Veronika could sense his wavering confidence. He was scared of her, and Veronika found joy in it.

“Not for long,” Veronika said, her voice lighter than before. “I suggest you move to either the California or the Colorado property quickly. Grand-mère won’t be pleased with you.”

Zacchaeus sucked in a breath when Veronika mentioned their grandmother. He refused to think of what would happen if his grandmother learned of his betrayal. Sure, he thought that what had happened was best for Veronika, but that didn’t make it less of a betrayal. If she could, their grandmother would probably have Zacchaeus’s head.

Both siblings in that moment knew that Zacchaeus was at Veronika’s mercy, not the other way around. They both knew Zacchaeus was in a corner, and he couldn’t get out.

“We’re siblings, Ronnie. We grew up together. Please, don’t do this,” Zacchaeus begged. Veronika watched on with amusement. They only wanted your forgiveness when they found they needed it.

“No, we didn’t. You found yourself to be too good for our family. Don’t you remember skipping family trips for parties? Grand-mère was very pleased with you for that. Trust me. Make your choice, Zacchaeus.”

When Zacchaeus stayed quiet and only looked at her with begging eyes, Veronika huffed. “I’m trying to be nice. I’m giving you an easier way out. Grand-mère and the rest of the family will strip you of everything you have at this point. You will never really be welcomed into Belgium again, let alone any of the family’s homes. Pick California or Colorado before I choose for you.”

This time, Zacchaeus chose. He chose the Golden State, and Veronika was happy with his decision for two reasons. One of them was that he would be as far away as possible while she was in America, and the other was because the California properties were few in number. 

When he decided upon where he would go, Veronika nodded swiftly. She left the patio, but not without telling her brother, “You’d better pack and leave. Soon.”

Zacchaeus understood that she meant that she’d kick him out of the manor within the week. He followed her inside, running up the stairs to begin packing. Veronika watched after him with a satisfied gleam in her eyes.

Bucky said nothing as he watched her. In truth, he was a little unnerved at how calm she was with kicking her brother out of the house. He would never show or tell her that, though. 

His expression remained blank when Veronika turned to him with a cold expression. “You don’t need to follow me all around my house, thank you.”

“I’m doing my job, darling,” he said, letting a small smirk slide onto his face as Veronika gets a little angrier. Protecting her doesn’t have to be done within her own house. He didn’t have to follow her around.

With narrow eyes, she bit out, “Will you have to protect me from paper cuts while I do my work?”

Bucky found joy in this. For some reason, working Veronika Moreau up was funny to him. The girl was cold, colder than anything, but seeing her fire up with anger was ironic to him.

She didn’t let him answer as she spun away. She marched to her father’s office, which was now hers. Without another word, she began work. Bucky entered the office, and Veronika visibly tensed a little.

“I have control of the situation, James,” she stated without looking up from the file she had taken out. “Do me a favor and let me be.”

“Just doing my job,” Bucky repeated, the same smirk coming back on his face. Veronika didn’t have to look up from her paperwork to see that it was there.

Finally, after moments of silence, she looked up at him. Her expression betrayed nothing as she reined in her emotions.

“Then go do your job somewhere else.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what?? i'm finally putting bucky and veronika in a room alone again??


	11. Came To Be

Knowing his limits, Bucky left the office. He allowed Veronika to do his work peacefully knowing full well SHIELD would monitor any business transactions she made. He believed her to be at SHIELD’s mercy fully and completely.

He made himself comfortable in the family room, not the living room. The living room seemed too unwelcoming, and the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees when he would enter that room. There were more blankets in the family room, too.

Maxime eventually stepped into the family room. “Mister Barnes, I’m here to escort you to the room you’ll be staying in for the length of your stay.”

“Veronika isn’t going to make me stay in a barn?” Bucky asked sarcastically. For some reason, he wouldn’t put it past her to do so.

The old butler seemed to be angered by his joke. “Miss Moreau would never do something like that. She is a woman of elegance, not of pettiness.”

“Then why is she so hellbent on ruining her brother and father?” Bucky questioned. Surely Veronika had a note of pettiness in her. No one was without it.

“Both her father and her brother attempted to ruin her life. Her father attempted it more severely, therefore he shall be dealt with more severely. Both of them will be burned from the Moreau family tree,” Maxime informed him. So it was true. Moreaus did burn people from their family.

“It is not petty or trivial if it has affected Miss Moreau this much,” Maxime finished. Bucky didn’t say anything in response.

Bucky supposed it wasn’t petty for her to take revenge like this. Her father had made her do illegal work since she’s been out of college. She had made plans to destroy the entire empire, and her brother ruined it for her. Her family had, in a way, all betrayed her.

“What does Veronika’s mother say about all of this?” Bucky finally questioned. He had stood up from the couch to follow Maxime who was turned around.

Maxime’s eyes widened as he turned around to face Bucky again. He pressed his lips together as he analyzed the situation. Veronika would not be pleased if he delved too deep into the situation.

“Veronika’s mother is not here to react to all of this,” Maxime said shortly. He pivoted on his toes and led Bucky to the room Veronika allowed him.

Bucky followed slowly behind as he took in the facts Maxime gave him. Veronika having a dead mother wasn’t something that totally surprised Bucky. Nobody ever heard anything from her, anyways. He probably would have been more surprised if she was alive.

“This is your room. I hope that you are pleased with the accomodations, Mister Barnes?” Maxiem questioned, allowing Bucky inside of the room. It was neither the biggest nor smallest room in the manor, and it had a small bathroom attachment. He was surprised she gave him a room like this.

Instead of verbally responding, Bucky just nodded his head. His bags were already in the room, and he suspected that while Bucky was ensuring Veronika didn’t rip Zacchaeus’s head off, Maxime was moving his bags up to his room.

There was nothing personal about the room. It was simply a guest room. There was minimal decoration around, but it still felt more homely than a hotel room.

“I let you be then,” Maxime finally said after a brief moment of silence. He closed the door behind him as he left. 

Bucky began to unpack his clothing. He didn’t know how long he would be there, but he packed enough for a month. That amount of clothing was almost his entire closet. He had one large suitcase full of clothes along with a duffel bag and backpack. Some of the items he carried were personal items such as notebooks and journals. Other items were weapons that he would have to use to protect Veronika.

He still didn’t know what he thought of Veronika. Sure, he found it amusing to annoy her, but he didn’t find her annoying. He almost found her to be a victim, but not really. She wasn’t brainwashed, only blackmailed. Bucky supposed that the blackmail was manipulation.

“Mister Barnes,” Maxime called from outside of his door. Bucky opened the door to reveal the butler. “Miss Moreau wanted me to tell you that dinner will be at six o’clock sharp, and she expects your presence.”

“Tell Her Highness that I’ll be there,” Bucky replied, knowing that the ‘Her Highness’ part would annoy her to no ends. Maxime pursed his lips but nodded. Bucky shut the door again.

He finished unpacking and found himself curious about the house. It was a large house, larger than some of Stark’s larger houses. Bucky wondered how much of the house was paid for by using the money they got off their black market.

Just as he finally resigned himself to explore the house, a knock sounded on the door. Bucky opened the door to be greeted by Maxime.

“Dinner is served, Mister Barnes,” Maxime informed him. Bucky followed him back down the stairs and into the dining room.


End file.
